Realizations
by AutisticKogayne
Summary: "There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." Or the five moments that lead the main four to discovering the truth about their feelings.
1. In Which Alya Realizes First

Alya liked to consider herself the top journalist at Collège Françoise Dupont, which meant she had trained herself to notice the small things.

She had been the first to notice when Max had shown up with a new pair of glasses, as well as the first to notice when Juleka showed up with another piercing, along with being the first to notice when Ivan showed up to school with pins from a new band he liked. She prided herself on being the most observant person in school, and she wore the title proudly.

The first time she saw Marinette, she thought the girl was cute, dark hair pulled back into cute pigtails and bright blue eyes. When she saw Chloe harassing her and heard how defeated the girl sounded, she had stood up without a second thought to step in. Chloe seemed obnoxious, like any school bully, but the way Marinette seemed so resigned to it left her more than a little uncomfortable, especially as the girl tripped, spilling macarons all over the floor and apologising all the way.

Comforting the girl was easy, although she's sure a large part of that is built upon years of experience comforting her younger siblings. She doesn't bother to think too deeply on it as she pulls the smaller girl in close and tries her best to encourage her to be more confident. She had seen her earlier attempt against Chloe taking her seat and Alya was sure that if she could just find it in herself to stand up more, she'd have far fewer problems than she currently did.

When Marinette simply smiled, broke her macaron in half, and handed half over to Alya while introducing herself, Alya knew she was screwed. Marinette had been cute in a kind of 'kicked puppy' way before, but the way her smile lit up her whole face was so beautiful Alya was sure nothing else would ever compare.

* * *

Falling for Nino is unexpected, and so fast it feels like whiplash. One moment she's trying to coach Marinette through the most awkward conversation with Nino she's ever seen, and the next thing she knows, Ladybug is throwing them both into a gorilla cage and dashing off to defeat the akuma.

She's upset at first, partly at the fact that she's locked in a gorilla cage, partly because she's now missing her chance to record the battle for the Ladyblog, and slightly because she's locked in the cage with Nino.

It's not that she has anything against the DJ, but if she's really going to be locked in a cage with someone, she would rather it be someone she's friends with, like Marinette. She finds herself so focused on trying to find a way out that she ropes Nino into helping her by letting her sit on his shoulders, oblivious to the way he fidgets with his headphones as she looks around.

When she finally gives up and settles back against the log with Nino, her eyes are immediately drawn to his fingers tapping against his thigh. She can hear the beat coming from his headphones and finds herself trying to be as quiet as possible so she can listen along. A few moments later when the song changes, she watches as Nino's fingers quickly change rhythm to follow the song's beat and before she even realizes, she's reached out to stop him. She's watched Adrien fidget like Nino is and every time, Nino reaches out and holds the model's hand until he calms down.

Nino's head immediately snaps to her, and when she smiles at him, he pulls his headphones off his ears and settles them around his neck, pressing pause on the song as he does. Without a word, she moves so she's settled against his side, pulling his headphones off his neck so she can settle one end against her ear as her free hand reaches for his phone to press play and fiddle with the volume.

When the music begins to play and he's still sitting there staring at her, she raises an eyebrow and he fumbles for the other end of the headphone, pressing it against his ear as well. Two songs later, he's stopped fidgeting, so she presses pause and starts talking. She opens with complimenting his music and the conversation quickly moves forward from there. When the swarm of ladybugs sweeps by and deposits them on the bench outside of the cage, she finds herself a little disappointed at them going their separate ways.

She doesn't even think on it before inviting him to check on Marinette, and when he smiles and agrees, she doesn't even stop to think on the way her heart sighs in her chest as they start walking. The conversation has jumped to how much they both dislike Gabriel Agreste when he makes some corny joke, one so ridiculous she can't remember it now, that causes her to completely lose it.

She's laughing so hard that she can feel the stitch in her side growing, but she can't bring herself to stop. When she's on the brink of taming the giggles, she turns to shoot Nino a playful glare and instead finds herself frozen. He's smiling at her, and it's obvious he hasn't realized that she's looking back at him with how gentle it is. She can't describe it beyond the fact that he seems 'softer' with that smile painted across his lips and the sun highlighting the gold in his eyes. When she's gotten rid of the pain in her side and stood up fully, he turns forward and keeps walking, and though he's not wearing the smile anymore, her heart tells her she won't be forgetting it anytime soon.

* * *

Falling for Adrien is almost so ridiculous, she wants to smack herself. He's literally the class pretty boy, and while she's sure most of the girls at their school have a crush on him, she'd mentally vowed the day she'd first met him, to not be one of them.

Of course, those vows meant nothing when he consistently proved how much deeper and more wonderful he was than anyone else had first assumed. The boy, aside from being the prettiest person she had ever met, was also as close to a genius as she had ever seen. He seemed to understand the work they were given quicker than the teachers did half the time, and he was always kind in trying to help other students with understanding.

He also had a habit of checking in on those who had been akumatized the next day, bringing each of them a small gift basket tailored to their interests and making sure they were okay. Nino's had been full of cds, band t-shirts, and tickets to his favorite band's concert. Alix's included new wheels for her skates, in a myriad of different colors, as well as a year's pass to the local rink. Alya's had come with a new phone charm, a lens clip for her phone camera, and an account for an online cloud service so her photos and videos were automatically uploaded and she didn't have to worry about them accidentally getting deleted. He had even gone so far as to give gift baskets to everyone who had been akumatized, including Mr. Ramier, Mr. Haprele, and Mr. Grimault.

She hadn't realized exactly how hard she'd fallen until the Gamer incident.

She had seen how excited Adrien was to have won against Max, and knowing how controlling his father was, she wasn't at all surprised at how excited he seemed to be now that he was going to be in the competition.

Then, Marinette's giving up her controller to Max, and while Alya finds part of her hoping the girl will stay in the competition so she can play with Adrien, the larger part of her knows that giving it up is the better choice.

Of course, then Adrien's showing up and handing his controller off to Marinette. He's assuring her that honestly, she's much better than him at the game and actually deserves the spot, and while Alya can tell he's happy to let Marinette play in his place, she can also see the quick flash of disappointment that crosses his face once everyone is focused on Max and Marinette.

She watches as he cheers the two on with the rest of the class, and though he's lost his opportunity for some fun not controlled by his dad, he seems as excited and happy as the rest of them to simply stand back and wish the two players luck. It's when she's watching him cheer, smile wide and cheeks lightly flushed that it hits her like a freight train.

* * *

The biggest realization doesn't come until she's invited the three of them over for a study date and she wanders into the living room after having checked on the cookies in the oven.

Marinette had pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail as she stood in the corner of the room, laughing and holding Nino's hat hostage, hair that wasn't in the ponytail framing her face messily. Without his hat, Nino's hair fell around his face, forcing him to move one arm to push it out of the way as the other pinned Adrien to the couch, tickling him every time the blond reached up to pull Nino's hand away. Adrien was laughing in a way that left Alya wondering if he was even able to breathe as he flailed about, both hands trying to push Nino aside so he could grab the hat from Marinette first as his legs pushed against the arm of the couch.

The room was filled with laughter from Marinette's small giggles to Nino's deeper chuckles, with Adrien's gasps and squeals of laughter thrown in. The sunlight from the large window highlighted the golden speckles of Nino's eyes, as well as the sheer quantity of Marinette's freckles dotted across her cheekbones and nose, as well as the array of golds and yellows that made up Adrien's shaggy hair. As Alya took in the sight, her brain froze at the sudden realization her heart had thrust upon her.

"Oh no," she thought, continuing to watch the group in front of her. "I'm completely in love with them all."


	2. In Which Nino Figures It Out

Nino Lahiffe was a man of many talents, and not a single one of those was talking to people. He could mix music and make playlists like no one's business, get hoards of homework done in no time at all, and he was great at essay writing for class, but talking to new people was definitely not in his top ten skill set.

Developing crushes on the most unattainable people in his life, however. That seemed to be skill number one.

The second day of class and Adrien waltzes in right behind Chloe, and Nino almost screams. Tousled blond hair, bright green eyes, and the cutest smile he has ever seen in his life, and the boy is friends with Chloe. Adrien sits next to him with a grin, holding out a hand as he introduces himself, and as much as Nino wants to take it, the thought of befriending the best friend of the class bully leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

Of course, then Adrien's in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to take the gum off Marinette's seat right as she walks in the door. Being friends with Chloe, of course, leads to zero credibility with Marinette, which leads to her snapping at him before turning her back and ignoring his apologetic stare. Nino watches the boy's face fall and when he sits back down, he's folded in on himself like he's trying to avoid being seen, and the speed and ease at which Adrien falls to the position sets off minor alarm bells in the back of his head.

When Adrien tells him that he'd rather take the blame than throw Chloe under the bus because she's his only friend, Nino takes a deep breath, mentally slaps himself a little, and holds out his hand.

"I'm Nino, and it's time for you to make some new friends."

When Adrien smiles and grabs his hand, he knows he's just royally screwed himself over. Adrien Agreste is literally the definition of unattainable, and yet Nino's heart is still stuttering in his chest, indifferent to the mental exasperation of knowing that, once again, he has developed a crush on the number one person he has no chance with.

* * *

Nino has known Marinette for close to six years, although it's only been in the way any public school student knows their classmates. He knows her favorite color is pink, that she wants to be a fashion designer, her parents are the best bakers in Paris, and he knows that Chloe absolutely loathes her. He doesn't know the full story or reasoning, but the whispers and rumors he's caught lead to a story of two childhood friends who got separated and when they came back together, things were too broken and raw for them to be friends again. Chloe lashed out, and Marinette was only able to take so much before she started to crumble in on herself.

He's watched her be torn down and tormented by Chloe for years, and as bad as he feels about it, he convinces himself that his attempts to comfort her will only make things worse, so he stays in the background. When Alya shows up and dives right into helping Marinette, he can't help but admire her. She's been in their class for less than twenty-four hours and she's already put herself right in Chloe's headlight of terror. He watches as Alya pushes Marinette outside her comfort zone, and he watches as Marinette becomes more confident, more sassy, more her. He admires her ability to bounce back from years of bullying with the support of Alya behind her, but it's not until the Rogercop incident that he reallynotices.

She's passing croissants out to everyone when she trips over a stray backpack and crashes to the floor, food scattered everywhere as she simply rubs the back of her neck and laughs at herself. She's not ashamed, simply embarrassed, and she has no problem picking herself and the food up off the ground.

Then Chloe's accusing her of theft, and while months ago she may have stood down and let them search her bag, today she stands up, shoulders back and tone fierce as she defends herself. She's not only standing up to Chloe, but the Mayor of Paris, and before he knows it, he's fallen for her. She reminds him of Ladybug in that moment, reminding him of the day the superheroine stood up to Hawk Moth with all of Paris watching, as she pushed the villain away and swore to Paris that her and her partner would be there to protect them all.

If he convinced himself to think on it longer, he may have been the first to figure it out, but he's too caught up in Rogercop showing up and asking for the mayor to think further on it.

* * *

Falling for Alya is something he definitely wasn't counting on, but he's in no way upset by it. One moment he's on a floundering date with Marinette, and next thing he knows, Ladybug is throwing him in a gorilla cage with the redheaded reporter. She's obviously exasperated at first, and though part of him tries to deny it, he knows it's largely because she doesn't want to be in there with him.

They try for a few minutes to escape, even going so far as to have her sit on his shoulders and see if there's a hatch on the ceiling, but after ten minutes of failure, they give up and instead get comfortable sitting against a log in the dirt. It's quiet at first, and he can't stop himself from fiddling with his headphones and phone as he waits for the akuma to be defeated so they can leave. He clicks play on a random song, quickly realizing it's one of his own mixes but not stopping to think on it. One of the pads of the headphones is pulled over his left ear as the other is tucked further back so he's able to still hear what's happening around him.

He taps his fingers against his legs for a few moments before Alya's grabbing his fingers, surprising him enough for his head to jerk towards her. She's wearing a soft smile, the one he's only ever seen directed at Marinette, and before he realizes, he's paused the song and pulled his headphones off and settled them around his neck.

Without a word, she scoots closer and pulls the headphones off his neck, resting one against her ear and reaching forward to press play on his phone as he watches her fiddle with the volume button. She raises an eyebrow at him and with fumbling fingers, he grabs the other side of the headphones and rests it against his own ear as the beats thrum through the air.

They make it through two more of his songs before she leans forward again to press pause, adjusting herself so she's sitting closer to him. She starts talking after a moment of silence, talking about how much she likes his music, and the conversation continues without any problems. They skip from music to movies to classmates and he finds himself relaxing as they joke and laugh together.

When the swarm of ladybug sweeps by and leaves them sitting on the bench outside the cages, his heart falls a little in his chest at the thought of them going their separate ways after all the fun they had just had. When instead, Alya asks him if he wants to come with her to the bakery to get some treats and check on Marinette, his face lights up with a smile and he quickly agrees.

They're walking, and somehow they've fallen on the topic of how much they both dislike Adrien's father when he turns to look at her. The sun highlights the red in her hair and when she turns to him, he notices the specks of green and gold in her eyes. When he makes a corny joke and she lights up with a laugh, he knows for sure. The way she laughs sends his heart cartwheeling in his chest and he can only mentally sigh at the realization that of course, he's fallen for her.

* * *

The largest realization hits him while he's at Alya's, one arm pinning a laughing Adrien to the couch as the other pushes his hair out of his face and tries to reach for Marinette where she's standing in the corner holding his hat hostage. They're all laughing, even Alya, as she stands in the doorway shaking her head in exasperation and chuckling. Adrien's flailing wildly underneath him, laughing so hard that Nino's almost concerned, but he's slightly more focused on Marinette tauntingly waving his hat around as she dances in the corner.

As he laughs along, a smile so wide that his cheeks hurt painted across his face, he looks down at Adrien and realizes.

"Well fuck," he thinks, turning to look at Alya. "I'm completely in love with them all."


	3. In Which Marinette Realizes

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the only daughter of the best bakers in Paris, arch-rival to the mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, and secretly the illustrious hero, Ladybug. Evidently through, her brain had instead decided that she was going to be the most 'crush-happy' girl in Paris.

Marinette had dealt with Chloe's harassment and bullying for years before Alya stepped in, and as much as she hated it, most of her was resigned to that fact. Thinking too long on it convinced her that it was her fault, especially with how the two girls had been friends before the incident.

When the new school year had started and Chloe immediately stood in front of her seat and told her to move, as much as she tried to stand up for herself, she was sure that she would end up moving like Chloe wanted. When instead, the new girl stormed over, told Chloe off, and dragged Marinette to sit beside her, she was shocked.

When her attempts to apologize are brushed off and instead, the girl attempts to encourage and motivate her, she's stunned. When she finds herself cracking her last good macaron in half, handing it over to the new girl, and introducing herself, she's a little surprised at the courage she managed to summon. When the girl (Alya, her name is Alya.) takes the half, smiles, and introduces herself as well, Marinette realizes she's in love.

Soon after, she ends up holding the mantle for Ladybug, one half of the superhero of Paris, and in her moments of doubt, she knows she has someone cheering her on. Alya has been there to support her since the first day, and that support never wavers. If she hadn't fallen for the girl before, it wouldn't have taken much longer for the feelings to develop. While Chat Noir is great at encouraging her and cheering her on, knowing that Alya, a civilian, holds this much faith and trust in her helps too. Some days are harder than others in the beginning, with her not quite sure she's the one who should be swinging through Paris with the miraculous of creation, but it gets easier with every excited article, video, or photo Alya posts to the Ladyblog.

* * *

First meeting Adrien barely counts as a meeting, with her walking into class on the second day of school to find him smearing gum onto her seat. She's understandably angry, with Alya having just encouraged her to stand up against Chloe when all of a sudden there's a new rich,blond bully. She dismisses his stuttered excuses, draping a handkerchief over the sticky mess and sitting beside it, ignoring the feeling of his eyes boring into the side of her head.

When Alya points out that not only is he Chloe's friend, he's also a model and the son of her favorite fashion designer, she finds herself resigned to the fact that they're not going to be friends, as disappointing a fact as that is. She's seen his photo spreads in the magazines and the knowledge that she's sure he would be able to give her on the fashion industry could give her an edge up on the competition, but she resigns herself to knowledge lost and moves on.

When the day ends and she's standing in the doorway, sighing as the rain pours, drenching the sidewalk and anyone standing out in it, she's frustrated to find Adrien standing awkwardly besider her. She turns her head away from him in hopes that he'll get the hint and leave her alone, but then he's apologizing, peering at her over his shoulder as he attempts to explain himself. He's so open, turning to hold his umbrella out to her as he smiles, and his face is so vulnerable and honest that she's shocked. She's frozen, unsure of herself in that moment and where to go when there's a crash of thunder. It startles her just enough for her to jump, but he barely moves, hand still outstretched. She fumbles before he passes it over, and they're silently staring at each other before the umbrella snaps closed on her.

She's reaching for the rim to pull the umbrella off of her when she hears it. He's laughing, and she swears she's never heard anything sweeter. She's laughing alongside him before she can stop herself, and within moments, he's waving goodbye as he turns to walk to his waiting car. She finds herself staring after him for a moment, stammering as she waves goodbye. Later she'll realize it was coup de foudre. That thunderstrike had caused her heart to skip in more than one way, but his laugh was what really stole her heart.

* * *

Falling for Nino is probably the most unexpected of them all. She's known him for almost six years, although only in the way any public school attendee knows any of their classmates. She knows his favorite color is blue, he wants to be a DJ, his moms are some of the nicest women she'd ever met, and that sometimes he seemed so unbelievably lonely. They'd been friends for a brief period, but after things with Chloe fell completely apart, she had pushed her remaining friends away in a struggling attempt to patch things up with the mayor's daughter. It hadn't worked and after seeing how much she had hurt him in her endeavor, she figured it was best to leave him alone.

When he shows up at the zoo alone, awkward and fumbling with Adrien nowhere in sight, she's confused. She had been hoping being at the zoo with Adrien while Alya coached her through her earpiece would be a stepping stone for a more romantic relationship, but after several moments of just the two of them, she finds herself wondering if Adrien even ever intended on showing up.

Part of her is disappointed, and an even smaller part is hurt, but when Nino stumbles over explaining the blond's absence, all flushed cheeks and awkward fumbling, she can't help to relate, especially with how she acts around Adrien. When he tells her that he wanted to take the time to tell her that he has a crush on Alya, her heart sinks in her chest, and she can't explain why. When he awkwardly smiles at her again though, she barely stops herself from crumpling at the realization that she loves him too. Apparently her heart had decided that two crushes wasn't enough.

When Animan attacks and the opportunity arises, she shoves Nino and Alya together in one of the animal cages, hoping the time spent alone will help Nino actually talk to Alya. The thought of two of her three crushes ending up together isn't an entirely pleasant one, but Nino's soft smile when he said Alya's name convinces her that her decision is the right one. When later she meets them both outside the bakery and they're laughing and joking together, she can't help but find herself proud that her plan worked, and disappointed that she's so upset at the sight of Nino's smile being aimed at Alya instead of herself.

* * *

Realizing she loves all three of them comes with them all gathered for a study session. Somehow they'd gotten so off topic that she's standing in the corner of the living room holding Nino's hat hostage and laughing as Nino fumbles with holding a squirming Adrien down, pushing his hair out of his eyes, and reaching for the hat. Adrien's laughing so hard she's worried on whether or not he's actually breathing and Alya's standing in the doorway, arms crossed as she smiles at them all goofing around.

She's dancing in place, smile so wide that her cheeks hurt when her heart skips a beat at the sight of the three of them smiling and laughing together.

"Oh God," she thinks, eyes scanning the room and watching the other three, "I'm completely in love with them all."


	4. In Which Adrien is Oblivious

Adrien Agreste was famous for several things, ranging from modeling his father's clothing to being an internationally-ranked fencer. However, one piece of knowledge that _wasn't_ shared with the public was how oblivious the boy could be.

Meeting Nino is something Adrien finds himself thankful for every day, even if their first meeting had left much to be desired. With how Nino had looked at Chloe when she walked in on the second day of school, Adrien knew the two were far from being friends and he finds himself grateful that Nino decided to give him a chance instead of just dismissing him as Chloe's friend.

Nino is the kind of friend who makes Adrien feel like they've been friends forever, especially with how he always seems to know the best way to help him when he's struggling. If he's anxiously fidgeting, Nino has no problem holding his hand until he calms down, and if Adrien's getting overwhelmed, Nino's there to pull him aside, slap some noise-cancelling headphones over his ears, and sit beside him until he feels better. When Adrien finally tells Nino that he's autistic, something he's been told _multiple_ times not to tell people, the DJ simply thanks him for being honest and pulls him into a hug, rubbing calming circles into his back as he crumbles into a pile of tears and relief.

Then it's his birthday, and he comes home to find Nino trying to convince his father to allow him a birthday party. Knowing his father, it's a failed endeavor, and as upsetting as that fact is, it's something he's resigned to.

Nino however, _isn't._

When he steps out the front door to find a birthday party, his classmates, and the Bubbler, he's horrified. He's seen the way Hawkmoth twists people's emotions to get what he wants, and for Nino to have his emotions felt on Adrien's behalf taken advantage of makes a large part of him sick.

Making the decision to stay and party instead of transforming and saving Nino is a decision that still upsets him when he thinks too hard on it, no matter how many times Nino tells him that he doesn't blame him. Every time he attempted to apologize, Nino brushed it off and told him that, given the situation, he was glad Adrien took the opportunity to enjoy himself. After all, Ladybug was able to fix everything in the end. No harm, no foul.

When his attempts to apologize for his father telling Nino that he was a bad influence are brushed off in much the same manner, he's momentarily so overwhelmed that he doesn't argue when Nino tosses an arm around his shoulder and pulls him inside the building. Instead, deciding to simply smile and be thankful that Nino's his friend as they head inside.

* * *

Alya isn't a person he really considers a close friend at first, especially with how it seems her and Marinette are friends, but she's definitely someone that he looks up to. He sees the way she chases the things she's passionate about, a fire in her eye and a grin on her lips and he watches as she's able to support and encourage Marinette, always able to best push the girl without going too far.

He's leaping out of the sarcophagus Pharaoh had just thrown him into when he makes eye-contact with her, watching as she smiles and waves even as she's held over the akuma's shoulder and taken away. His chest tightens at first, scared on her behalf, but when she continues grinning and waves her phone at Ladybug and him, the knot of anxiety loosens.

As they're going through the motions of fighting the akuma, he can't stop his eyes from drifting towards her; the knowledge that someone he considers a friend is in danger being a thought that doesn't sit well with him. Throughout it all though, she's still recording with a smile in her eyes and the confidence of someone who isn't being held hostage by a man who thinks he's an ancient Egyptian king.

When Pharaoh is finally defeated and the akuma has been cleansed, he takes a moment to stop and make sure Alya is actually okay with everything that had just happened, surprised when she acts like the whole situation was nothing more than what she dealt with on a regular basis.

Seeing how Alya handled Pharaoh makes him realize that, though they're not as close as she and Marinette are, he's grateful that he's one of the people she considers a friend.

* * *

First meeting Marinette goes worse than his first meeting with Nino, which seems impossible until it happens. Trying to do the right thing and remove the gum put on her seat blows up in his face, with Marinette immediately thinking it's a prank played by him and Chloe and dismissing his attempts to explain himself. As much as it upsets him, he pretty much resigns himself to the fact that she's just not going to like him when Nino convinces him to try talking to her again.

He's leaving for the day, umbrella in hand as he's trying to think over the best way to get Marinette to actually listen to him when he sees her standing right at the edge of the doorway, obviously waiting for the rain to stop so she can walk home. Taking a deep breath, he steps forward, turns, and waves to her with a smile. When she simply huffs and turns away from him, he just barely manages to stop himself from completely deflating.

Still, he's determined to at least explain himself, so he does, with Marinette silently watching him the whole time. Her face doesn't change as he's talking, still staring at him slightly wide-eyed, and part of him worries that she thinks he's being obnoxious and rude. Then, he's holding his umbrella out to her. He can feel the rain soaking into his hair and dripping down the back of his neck, but he ignores it and waits for her to take it. Once the umbrella has switched hands, he's ready to head to the car waiting for him, but the umbrella has other ideas and snaps closed over her. He tries not to, but he's breaking out into a fit of giggles before he can stop, smile widening as her bright blue eyes peek out from underneath the edge of the umbrella and her own laughter fills the air. The moment ends quickly though, and with a smile and "See you tomorrow!", he's off

Their friendship, as awkward as it may be sometimes, grows from there. She stutters and flails around him, but he doesn't think much on it besides her probably being intimidated by him being the son of her idol.

As grateful as he is to have her as a friend, he doesn't fully realize _how_ grateful until his father's face is looking over her derby hat from the tablet held in Nathalie's arms. His eyes are moving between Chloe and Marinette's hats and while Adrien knows that it's much more likely that Chloe copied Marinette rather than the other way around, he's not sure how Marinette can prove it.

Of course, she's _Marinette Dupain-Cheng._ Without a pause, she's standing tall in the face of several adults, including her fashion idol, thinking she's a thief. She quickly directs their attention to several small details on the hat, including her signature embroidered in gold along the rim and proves without a doubt that the original design is all hers. He's awed, by how confident she is standing against Chloe in the name of the truth, fully determined and ready to prove herself.

When his father tells her she's won, her face lights up with a smile so wide he wonders if her cheeks hurt, and he finds his heart skipping a beat with how happy he is that she's chosen him to be one of the people she holds close. Even as the hat sends him into a small sneezing fit, he's excited for the opportunity to wear it, and even more excited to seeing Marinette's reaction to something she designed being in magazines.

* * *

He doesn't actually realize the truth about his feelings until he's over at Alya's house for a study date. Somehow, he's ended up pinned beneath Nino, squirming as the DJ tickles him with one hand and reaches for Marinette in the corner with the other, hands moving from where they reach for her to push his hair out of his face every few moments. He can hardly breathe and his eyes are clouded with tears, but he's more focused on trying to get out from under Nino than the stitch in his side. He can barely see Alya standing in the doorway out of the corner of his eyes, arms crossed against her chest as she shakes her head and laughs, and though he can't actually see Marinette from his position, he can imagine the way she dances as she holds Nino's hat hostage. With most of his focus on trying to push Nino off of him so he can grab the hat clutched between Marinette's fingers, it takes him several minutes to actually figure it all out.

The sun coming in through the living room window highlights not only the gold and green flecks in Nino's eyes, but also the blue undertones in Marinette's hair. The sound of their laughs, from Alya's lighter chuckles to Marinette's tinkling giggles makes his heart skip a beat, and while earlier he would have simply thought of it as him being happy that his friends are happy, this time he figures it out.

" _Sweet cheese and crackers,"_ he thinks, blinking back tears so he can actually look at the three others in the room with him, " _I'm completely in love with them all."_


	5. In Which They Have a Discussion

When Nino's phone rang at nine in the morning on a Saturday, he mentally prayed that for the sake of the person on the other end, it was an emergency because otherwise, someone was going to die.

"Hello?" He slurred, glaring at the light peeking between his blackout curtains as he tried to get comfortable enough to fall asleep again.

"Nino, it's Alya. Are you free today?"

Groaning, he switched the phone to the other ear as he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he tried to mentally check his calendar.

"Alya. It's nine in the morning. On a Saturday."

"Yeah? Are you free or not?"

"Uh, I promised to help maman get groceries, but after that I'll be free. Why?"

"Good, I think we need to talk. Meet me at the park by the school at noon?"

Noticing how she was talking faster than usual and letting her words slip together, he immediately agreed, looking at his phone with concern as she quickly hung up.

"Looks like I have a phone call of my own to make."

* * *

Marinette had been working on one of her newer designs, a dress inspired by Alya's eyes when her phone rang, the loud ringtone startling her enough for her to nearly stab herself with the needle on the sewing machine. Jerking her hands back, she scrambled for the phone, accepting the call and holding it to her ear without checking who it was.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Marinette, are you doing anything today?"

"Uh, I don't think so? I was just going to work on a few designs. Why?"

"I just have something important I think I need to talk to you about today. Can you meet me at the park near your house at about eleven?"

"Sure, I can be there. Are you okay though, Nino? You sound nervous."

"It's nothing, just meet me at noon!"

Before she had the chance to even think about responding, the click of him hanging up rang in her ears, surprising her into pulling the phone away from her ear with a gasp. As she stared down at the phone, a thought came to mind, and before she could talk herself out of it, she was typing up a quick text and sending it out.

* * *

 **Croissant Queen:** Hey, are you free later today?

 **Croissant Queen:** like, ten-ish later?

Blinking at the twinkling chime coming from beside him, Adrien quickly paused his game and grabbed the phone, quickly shooting off a reply text.

 **Hot Stuff:** i can be

 **Hot Stuff:** what's up?

 **Croissant Queen:** i just think i need to talk to you

 **Croissant Queen:** can you meet me at the park by my house?

 **Hot Stuff:** yeah of course. are you okay?

 **Croissant Queen:** i'm fine, i just need to talk to you later and it's not really a text conversation

 **Croissant Queen:** it's not bad or anything! it's just kinda personal. i'll talk to you about it when i see you later though, so don't worry

"'Don't worry' she says, like that makes it better," Adrien muttered, flicking through his text conversations and pulling a slightly older conversation up, "What could she possibly have to talk to me about that's so personal?"

* * *

 **Sunshine Child:** can i talk to you about something?

Raising an eyebrow at the text, Alya unlocked her phone and hurriedly typed up a reply, mildly worried on why Adrien would be texting her instead of Nino.

 **Ladyblogger:** sure, what's up?

 **Sunshine Child:** marinette just texted me and asked me to meet up with her later to talk

 **Sunshine Child:** she said it was personal but told me not to worry

 **Sunshine Child:** i just wanted to know if you had any idea what it could be about?

Pausing, Alya tried to think back on her recent conversations with Marinette to see if she could think of any reason the girl would find it so important to talk to Adrien today of all days. The only thing that came to mind was that maybe Marinette had finally worked up the courage to confess to the model, but Alya was pretty sure that wasn't the case.

 **Ladyblogger:** i have no idea, but gimme a few to text her and try to figure it out

Immediately backing out of her messages with Adrien, she opened her texts to Marinette and fired one off, completely disregarding the Ladyblog article she had been working on.

 **LB's GF:** hey marinette, did you text adrien asking him to meet you later?

There was a row of blinking dots, but the reply came quickly.

 **Mare Bear:** yeah, i needed to talk to him, why?

 **LB's GF:** about what? he just texted me cause he's worried over what you wanna talk to him about

 **Mare Bear:** it's nothing

 **Mare Bear:** i mostly just wanted to talk to him cause nino called me and wanted to talk to me and he sounded really nervous

 **LB's GF:** wait wait wait

 **LB's GF:** nino called and asked you to meet him later today?

 **Mare Bear:** yeah, at around noon at the park near my house

It took a moment of thinking, but as Alya stared down at the phone in her hands, the gears in her head started turning. She had called Nino and asked to meet up at noon at the park, wanting to confess to him her feelings for the three of them and what to do. Then, Nino had called Marinette, asking her to meet him at the same time and place that she herself had originally asked him. Of course, then Marinette texts Adrien with the same 'meet me at the park at noon to talk', and it ends where it begins when Adrien texts her out of concern.

It was a wild guess, and one Alya wasn't even sure she should let her mind follow, but what if they all were calling and texting to talk about the exact same thing?

She had called Nino because he was someone she knew she could trust, and his coolheadedness was definitely something she could use as she tried to sort through and figure out her feelings. Nino then might have contacted Marinette, having known her longer than anybody else and knowing exactly how trustworthy she was when it came to secrets. Marinette, though Alya was her best friend, would reach out to Adrien for help, taking into account how easily the boy was able to logically sort through any problems while making any negative outcome seem miniscule. While Adrien, oblivious as he is, would simply reach out to her due to her being the closest to Marinette and him being concerned.

Closing her eyes, Alya took a deep breath and thought. She knew she was ready to take a risk today by confessing to Nino, but now she had to think over whether or not she was ready to tell them all. There was a large risk there, but there was also a chance for an even larger reward. The thought of being able to kiss, cuddle, hug, and go on dates with all three of them made her stomach explode into butterflies and her face flush.

She opened her eyes and pressed her fingers to the keys, ready to type up her response. She's Alya freaking Césaire, and while she's no Ladybug, she considers herself close enough. She's chased down akumas for the chance at a great story, helped Ladybug and Chat Noir in the fight against Santa Claws, and was even kidnapped by an akuma, staying calm all the while. If she couldn't even muster enough course to confess to her crushes, was she really worthy of running the Ladyblog?

 **LB's GF:** can we actually all meet up at your place? i think I need to talk to all 3 of you

 **Mare Bear:** sure, I'll get some snacks together. want me to text the other two and let them know?

 **LB's GF:** please. I'll see you later

Pushing her phone aside, Alya scrubbed at her face, anxiety sitting heavy in her chest as she started second guessing herself. It was one thing to tell yourself that you were going to confess to your three crushes, but it was an entirely different thing to actually do it, and now Alya found herself wondering if she was actually ready. Of course, she had already arranged for them all to meet, and she didn't exactly have an excuse if she decided to bail so without further ado, she stood up, grabbed her stuff, and left.

* * *

Alya had thought it had been stressful and awkward enough just thinking about talking to the other three, but sitting in front of them with the silence hanging over them, she realized it was actually much worse.

When they had all shown up close to half an hour early, Marinette had waved them up to her bedroom with a plate of treats pushed into each of their hands. They had all settled in a circle on the pillows and blankets tossed in a pile in the middle of the room, and then the heavy silence had settled over them all. None of them looked up from their laps as they nibbled at their cookies and pastries, the quiet chewing being the only audible noise aside from the low hum of customers coming from the bakery beneath them.

As the minutes ticked by, Alya found herself more and more anxious until finally, she snapped.

Turning to Nino, she watched as he tensed slightly, Marinette and Adrien both turning to look at her.

"Nino," she started, watching as his eyes just barely managed to meet hers before darting away again, "I called and asked you to meet up with me because you're always so calm when I'm stressing over something, and you give the best advice I've ever heard, although don't tell my mom that."

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment, gathered as much of her confidence as she could, and opened them to begin talking.

"Marinette, I fell in love with you on the first day of school. I thought you were cute when I first saw you, and I knew I had to step in when I saw how resigned you were to Chloe's bullying, but I really fell for you when you split your macaron, shared it with me, and smiled. Your whole face lit up and you were so beautiful in that moment that all I knew was I wanted to see that smile as many times as you'll let me."

Ignoring the way Marinette's eyes had blown wide and her jaw had dropped, Alya turned to Nino.

"Nino, I fell for you that day Ladybug locked us together at the zoo. I know I came off as annoyed at you at first, but I was really just upset over missing the chance to film the akuma battle. You seemed so nervous though, and once we started talking a little more, I realized how great you really are. When we were walking to Marinette's and you told me that joke, I turned to look at you while I was still bent over trying to catch my breath and you were smiling at me. I don't think it was even a smile really meant for me, but you looked so calm and happy in that moment, especially with the light highlighting the gold in your eyes, and I knew that I was a goner."

Ignoring the anxiety building in her chest now that she'd started her confessions, she turned to Adrien, so focused on what she had to say that she didn't notice the bright red flush painted across all of their cheeks.

"Adrien, falling for you was almost so ridiculous I wanted to scream. You're literally the class pretty boy and while I'm sure most of the people at school have a crush on you, I promised myself the day I met you not to be one of them. Of course, that meant literally nothing once I got to know you. Watching you reach out to people who had been akumatized to make sure they were okay, even though you didn't have to, and always helping others with homework or anything else. I didn't fully realize until we had that Mecha Strike Tournament and you gave your chance to play to Marinette. I saw how excited you were to play, but you gave up the opportunity to do something that would make you happy to someone else because you knew how happy it'd make them. I love how selfless and kind you are, which is a large part of why I fell for you, but I also want to be able to show you that it's okay to be a little selfish sometimes. I feel like you give so much of yourself up for other people, and I really want you to know that you don't have to."

When she's done speaking, she drops her eyes to her hands resting in her lap, watching as they tug at a loose string dangling from the hem of her jeans. A large part of her is glad she's finally managed to confess, but there's still a small, anxious part of her that she can feel clawing at the back of her mind telling her she should've just stayed quiet.

"I'm not expecting anything from any of you," she started, blinking back the hot tears she could feel blooming in the back of her eyes, "But I'm tired of hiding it from you, and I thought I should be honest and tell you."

"I fell for Adrien first." Nino whispered, causing all of their eyes to snap towards him, though his eyes were glued to his lap so he didn't notice, "You walked into class on the second day and I wanted to scream. It was your smile that really did it for me. I'm not going to lie, you're pretty as anything else, but your smile just lights up the world around you. I was worried at first when you came in with Chloe, but when I saw how you reacted to the gum incident, I think I took advantage of the situation to get close to you, because as sure as I was that you were romantically unattainable, I knew I wanted to be as close to you as you'd let me."

Adrien's face is so red at this point that Alya finds herself wondering if there's any blood left in any other part of his body, but Nino starts talking again before she can dwell on it much longer.

"I fell for you Marinette the day Sabrina's father was akumatized into Rogercop. You'd become so much happier and confident after you and Alya became friends, and even when you tripped and spilled food all over yourself, you just laughed it off. Of course, then Chloe was accusing you of stealing her bracelet and I know the Marinette from before would've just let them search her bag, but you stood up to not only Chloe, but the Mayor of Paris and refused. You kinda reminded me of Ladybug right then, standing up to the Mayor the way she stood up to Hawkmoth that first day. I was so happy for you, and I was so proud that you had come so far after everything with Chloe, and before I knew it, I had fallen for you."

Marinette's now avoiding looking at any of them, turned to the side as both hands fiddle with one of her pigtails. Alya's chest feels tight with the thought of what Nino's going to say next, and she closes her eyes when he continues again.

"I already know you're going to think I'm copying you," He joked, pulling his hat down from his head and running a hand through the short curls that had been hiding underneath. "But I fell for you that day at the zoo. We were walking to Marinette's and talking about Mr. GarbageAgreste, and I remember I told the lamest joke and you just lit up. The sun brought out the red in your hair and the gold in your eyes, and I could feel my heart cartwheeling in my chest when you laughed. I knew I was screwed then, but I think I was okay with it as long as I got to hear that laugh or see that smile again."

Alya could feel her face heating as she brought her hands up to scrub at her cheeks, hoping that they weren't nearly as red as they felt. When she opens her eyes, Nino's still staring at his lap, Adrien's face is a brighter red than Ladybug's suit, and Marinette looks like she's trying to gear herself up for something, with her eyebrows scrunched together and her lips turned down into the cutest pout Alya's ever seen. As soon as her mouth opens to ask if the girl is okay, she's cut off.

"I fell for Alya first!" She squeaks out, hand still fumbling with her pigtail as Alya's jaw drops, "It was the first day of school and you were so nice to me. You didn't even know me, and you still stepped in and defended me. I remember I tried to apologize and you just brushed it off and started trying to encourage me instead. You didn't even know my name, or anything about me, and you still jumped in to help me, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Being friends with you has changed my life, and the more we hung out, the more I fell for you until I couldn't even try to imagine my life without you in it."

Alya's sure that her face matches Adrien's at this point, but Marinette continues talking before she can try to say something.

"I fell for Adrien on the second day of school. I was so angry when I saw you putting the gum on my desk, especially with everything that had happened with Chloe, so I snapped at you and then ignored you. Even after that though, you still came up to me after school to apologize. You seemed so vulnerable and open that I wasn't sure what to do, but then you were handing me your umbrella. When I took it and it closed on me, I was so embarrassed, but then you started laughing and I figured I'd do anything, no matter how embarrassing to hear you laugh like that again. The more time I spent around you, the more I learned, and I loved it all. You're so unbelievably kind, especially with how your father treats you, and so much smarter and hardworking than anyone I've ever met. Every moment I've gotten to spend with you has been a blessing, and I need you to know that I love you. That we all love you."

Adrien looks like if anyone else says anything nice about him, he'll explode, with tears brimming at the edges of his eyes and cheeks still a shade of red Alya didn't think was physically possible before today.

"I think falling for Nino was the one I least expected," she muttered, face immediately paling once she registered what she said, hands flailing about as she talked, "Not in a bad way or anything! I had just known you for so much longer than Alya or Adrien, although I guess I didn't actuallyknow you. It was that day at the zoo when I realized. When you showed up, you were so awkward and fumbling that I couldn't help but relate. As awkward as you were though, you were still so sweet and kind. When you told me you had a crush on Alya was when it hit me, and when you two showed up at the bakery together, I was upset at the thought that I had lost my chance with either of you, but you looked so happy that I thought it'd be better to just leave it alone."

If any of them had thought the previous silences were awkward, they realized now that they were nothing compared to the silence that hung over them once Marinette was done confessing. None of them looked directly at Adrien, but they could see him fidgeting with his pant leg out of the corner of their eyes. While the previous silences lasted a minute at the longest, the current one hun over them for nearly seven before Adrien finally spoke up.

"I didn't even realize they were crushes until recently," He mutters, refusing to look up from his lap as his hands move to play with the hem of his shirt, "I fell for Nino first though. I saw how you looked at Chloe that first day, and I remember being so glad that you decided to give me a chance instead of just dismissing me as her friend. You became my best friend so fast, and I felt like we'd been friends for years with how you always seemed so tuned into how I was feeling and how supportive you always were. I'm sure it sounds wrong, but I think it was the Bubbler incident that really brought it on. You being akumatized was horrible and I'm still so sorry it happened, but I think my crush started when I realized that you had been akumatized because you were upset for me. I remember trying to apologize afterwards too, and you just brushed it off and told me you were glad that I had tried to enjoy the party."

Everyone stays still, almost as if moving will disrupt Adrien's thoughts and cause him to stop talking. It takes him a few minutes to think of what he's going to say, brow furrowed as he glares down at his lap, but he manages to keep talking a moment later.

"I fell for Alya when Pharaoh was akumatized. I'd kinda looked up to you for a while, especially with how passionate you are about what you care about, but watching you livestream so nonchalantly as he carried you off and talked about sacrificing you blew my mind. You seemed more excited than anything at the chance to be that close to the action, even with all the risks, and you didn't seem affected at all once it was over. I think I realized then that I wasn't as close to you as I wanted to be, but I was still so glad to have someone so fiery and passionate about what they care about in my life, and I think part of me wanted me to be something you were passionate in caring about."

There's a pause as he takes a deep breath, but he manages to continue with his speech mere seconds later.

"I know you and I didn't get off at the best start Marinette, but I remember being so excited when I showed up for school the next day and you started talking to me. I was so glad that you had given me a chance, but I don't think I really fell for you until the derby hat competition. I knew that the chances of you copying Chloe instead of vice versa were low, but I was so nervous at how you'd handle the accusation, especially with my father there. You were so confident and calm though when you proved that the design was one hundred percent yours, and when he'd told you that you'd won, your face lit up so much I was worried that your cheeks had to hurt from how wide you were smiling. I think in that moment, I realized how happy I was to be one of the people you considered a friend, and I was so excited to wear your hat, even as it sent me into that sneezing fit. I'm pretty sure I was sneezing for at least two days after the photoshoot, but it was so worth it to see you smile when you saw the pictures and got to really see how much your hard work paid off."

It's quiet again, but this time the silence seems more tired than heavy, the air filled with the confessions that had spilled from each of them. Nobody seems willing to look up from their lap until the quiet tapping of Adrien's fingers drumming against the floor starts. He only gets through about three taps before Nino's reaching over and grabbing his hand, interlacing their fingers and rubbing his thumb in circles against the back of his knuckles. Looking up from her lap, Alya notices Marinette's hands fidgeting in her lap and without thinking, she's reaching out to grab it. Marinette pauses for a second, but then she's squeezing Alya's hand gently and reaching her opposite hand to hold Adrien's free one. Taking the hint, Alya reaches her free hand out and grabs Nino's, squeezing it with a small smile when he turns to look at her.

Alya can feel her hands starting to sweat the longer they sit there in silence, but she's so elated that she's even managed to make it this far that she can't really find it in herself to care. Surprisingly, it's Adrien who speaks up a few minutes later, voice hesitant but strong.

"So, where do we go from here?"

They all turn to look at him, cogs turning in their heads as they all try to think beyond their sweaty hands and the odd circle they've sat themselves in. Unsurprisingly this time, it's Alya who starts the conversation.

"Well, I think it depends on where we want to go from here." She starts, letting her thumb rub over Nino's knuckles as she tries to think, "You now know that I love each of you, romantically in case it wasn't obvious, and I think it's also fairly obvious that we all feel the same way. I don't want to force anyone into anything, so you're more than welcome to say no, but what if we all tried dating each other?"

"How do you mean?" Marinette asks, brow furrowed as she looks up, Nino and Adrien looking as confused as she does.

"I mean, we all date each other. Like, Marinette is my girlfriend and Adrien and Nino are my boyfriends, and vice versa for you guys. If I want to go on a date with Nino one day, Adrien the next, and Marinette the day after, it's fine and if I want to kiss and cuddle any of you, as long as it's okay with the person I'm trying to kiss or cuddle, it's not cheating since we're all together."

The other three seem to be thinking about it, but within seconds, a bright smile stretches across Adrien's lips. Nino and Marinette seem slightly more hesitant, but only in the sense that it seems slightly too good to be true.

"That honestly sounds kind of wonderful," Marinette starts, looking up to make eye contact with Alya, "but are we sure it'd even work out?"

"Of course we aren't, but nobody is ever 100% sure any relationship will work. It's a risk, but it's a risk I'm willing to take if it means I get a chance to love you all the way I want to."

Even though it's not aimed at him, Adrien's face flares bright red, and Nino laughs before cooing at where Adrien's trying to bury his face in his lap.

"Aww Alya, look what you did to the poor guy. He's so red he looks like he might explode." Nino coos with a smile as he pokes at Adrien's blushing cheek.

"If just saying that turned him this red, I'd be able to have a lot of fun with him if we were all dating."

"I wanna try it," Adrien mutters from where his face is buried in his jeans, bring the whole room to a stop."I love you all, and if this is something that's actually possible, I'd really want to date you all."

"I do too." Marinette speaks up from where she's been sitting quietly on the sidelines. "I'm a little worried about it, but like you said, there's no guarantee any relationship will work out, but this is a relationship I want to at least try for."

Turning towards Nino, Alya could barely hold back her grin as he simply smiled and nodded at her.

"I didn't really think it was a possibility to date all three of you, and I felt really guilty over not being able to choose who I love more, but I'd really like it if we were all together"  
Flailing her arms for a second, Alya quickly pulled the three of them in for a hug, smiling as she felt them all relax and hug back.

When she pulled back from the hug moments later, her heart jumped in her chest at the sight of the other three, cheeks red and small smiles decorating their lips.

"Now!" She clapped, startling the other three as she stood and made her way to the small closet full of spare blankets she knew Marinette had. "I'm emotionally exhausted as crap, so how about we build a blanket fort, pick a movie, and then cuddle and nap?"

"Only if the movie is Princess Bride!" Adrien cheered, getting up to help Alya with the blankets, Nino and Marinette right behind him.

"Adrien, I literally watched the Princess Bride with you last night." Nino groaned, earning an eye roll and muttered comment from the blond.

It took almost an hour before they were all settled down in their messy blanket fort, Princess Bride playing on Alya's laptop despite Nino's objections. They were all cuddled close, more in a pile than anything, but they were comfortable and happy, and before the man in black and Inigo began to duel, they were all asleep.


End file.
